JAB (LIGHT) PUNCH

STRONG (MEDIUM) PUNCH

Crouching Medium is an excellent anti-air. It does not look like it by looking at it, but try it out in training mode. It works really well.

FIERCE (HARD) PUNCH

Standing Hard Punch has excellent range and does good damage. Because of its reach, it is excellent to use to try to hit the extended limbs of characters trying to use shorter range attacks.

Crouching Hard Punch has even more range! However, it has long startup and recovery so use it carefully and preferably at its maximum range to lesson opportunities for your opponent to react and punish.

SHORT (LIGHT) KICK

Crouching Light Kick is a very fast attack by Blanka standards. However, it does not have a good reach.

FORWARD (MEDIUM) KICK

Jumping Medium Kick is one of Blanka's best normals. It has good reach, does OK damage, and it's virtually impossible not to hit with the thing unless you press too early in the jump. If you aren't 100% sure of hitting with a Hard Kick, use the Medium Kick.

Jumping Medium Kick is the cross-up weapon of choice if you are in the air. This attack makes cross-ups super-easy.

Crouching Medium Kick is an excellent poke. If you already have a charge you can follow crouching medium with a combo or, if you are really good at links, a Super or Ultra.

ROUNDHOUSE (HARD) KICK

Jumping Hard Kick: If you really want to reach out and touch someone while jumping in, jumping Hard Kick is your attack! It does lots of damage and Blanka really stretches out with the attack, giving it very good reach. However, it has zero crossup potential. If you miss, you will miss completely, so know how and when to use it.

THROWS

Blanka's face bite throw (Wild Fang) was nerfed pretty bad in Street Fighter 4 compared to other games in the series. In Street Fighter 2 the name of the game is to bite people in the face. In Street Fighter 4 it's harder (range seriously reduced) and doesn't do quite the actual and psychological damage it used to do. However, it's still good, still does good damage, and still annoys many opponents, which is in Blanka's favor.

Blanka's Rolling Throw (Jungle Wheel) throws your opponent away from you. It usually is not in Blanka's best interests to throw your opponent away from you but if you wish to do so, he has the option.

COMMAND NORMALS

SLIDE

DOWN-TOWARDS HARD PUNCH

Extremely quick startup makes it easy to surprise opponents who are not waiting for it.

Goes under projectiles and covers a fair amount of distance in the process.

Deceptive in that it stays active for a long time which makes it a good meaty move.

However, it is extremely easy to punish on block by most characters at almost any range

Best used at maximum slide range where just fingers hit opponent to minimize punish opportunity on block.

COWARD CROUCH

DOWN + THREE PUNCHES

Ducks projectiles including Sagat's Low Tiger Shot.

The longer you hold DOWN, the longer Blanka stays in Coward Crouch.

Blanka can use Surprise Forward & Back out of Coward Crouch

Electric Thunder and Vertical Rolling Attack are also options out of Coward Crouch.

SURPRISE FORWARD & BACK

BACK/TOWARDS + THREE KICKS

Hop which is useful for gaining ground quickly and crossing up the opponent.

Rolling Attack can be punished by Dash Straight, even if the Rolling Attack hits, even in a combo.

Against a good Balrog, it is best to limit Rolling Attack only to instances where you can win the round by chip damage, if you have enough EX meter to Focus Cancel out of the bounce-away animation, or cancelling the Rolling Attack into Super in the combo. The Rolling Attack bounce-away animation is what can be counter-attacked by Balrog's Dash Straight.

Combo into Electric Thunder is a better option against Balrog.

vs. C. Viper

Use Electric Thunder or Ultra to avoid cross up games.

Blocked Rolling Atack can be punished with Sesmic Hammer

Using dashes and Surprise Forward and Back can keep C.Viper guessing and make it more difficult to establish her offensive.

vs. Sagat

If you want to stay close to Sagat, limit use of Rolling Attack as this attack will bounce Blanka away from Sagat (either hit or block), which is usually what Sagat wants. Using combos ending in electricity allows you to stay close and still do good damage.

EX Rolling Attack to punish Tiger Shots

Blocked EX Rolling Attack can be punished with EX Low Tiger Shot

Blocked Rolling Attack cannot be punished with EX Low Tiger Shot, so retaliate with a follow up EX Rolling Attack when landing.

vs. Cammy

Never use Blanka's Ultra if Cammy has an Ultra available. Cammy's Ultra beats Blanka's Ultra clean.

vs. El Fuerte

Use dashes, Surprise Forward and Surprise Back to keep Fuerte guessing and make it more difficult to impose his own game (to keep *you* guessing).

vs. Ryu

Resist the urge to jump in on Ryu if he has enough meter for Ultra. If he Dragon Punches and hits he can Focus Cancel out of the Dragon Punch animation, FADC into Ultra while you are popped up in the air, and you will land on it for guaranteed damage. Even if you trade damage with a Ryu who Dragon Punched you will be popped into the air for an easy FADC Super or Ultra.

Be careful with slide. If it is blocked or if it falls short it is easily punished by Ryu's cr.hk

vs. Blanka (Mirror Match)

This could be one of the most difficult matchups for Blanka if you allow it.

Patience is a virtue against another Blanka. The Blanka with the superior patience, mix-ups, mind-games and execution usually wins.

Don't try Surprise Forward mixup games on another Blanka. It's too easy for the other Blanka to use Vertical Ball Attack or Electric Thunder to shut down most jump-ins and cross-up attempts.

However you can bait another Blanka into thinking you are trying for a cross-up game on wakeup, dash or hop away at the last second, and punish the opposing Blanka's missed Vertical Ball attack or Electric Thunder.

Punish Blanka's Electric Thunder with cr.hk outside of the Electric Thunder's area of effect

Punish blocked Horizontal Ball with slide or Horizontal Ball of your own

vs. Rufus

if Rufus has any EX Meter Blocks, watch out for EX Messiah Kick on wakeup

Falcon Kick usually shuts down attempts to counter with Vertical Ball Attack. Quick electricity between Falcon Kicks knocks him out of it if used with proper timing.

vs. Zangeif

cr.mp beats most of Zangeif's jump-ins clean

Try to avoid jump-ins against Zangeif as Lariat and retaliation grabs are very effective against Blanka.

If you wish to jump in and expect Lariat, try to aim your kick right for Zangeif's head. If done correctly (kicking him in the head before his extended arms hit Blanka), you can usually beat Lariat and get in a quick combo.

Do damage then get out! Do not stay close to Zangeif or you will regret it!

Try intentionally falling short with Horizontal Ball Attacks to bait Zangeif into Lariat and then slide to beat it clean.

If you got the life-lead, Zangeif must come to you. Do not feel obligated to engage Zangeif. If you have the lead, simply look for openings or mistakes to punish to extend the lead.

vs. Dhalsim

Getting in on a good Dhalsim is a real challenge. Once you do, go on offense and keep constant pressure to make it difficult for him to get away from you.

Use standing hp just outside of Dhalsim's cr.hp range to try to hit his hands for counter-hit.

vs. Guile

Learn to use slide on reaction to Sonic Boom

If he uses cr.hk on you (double roundhouse), block the first roundhouse hit then jump out of it as he spins back around for the second roundhouse kick to get jump-in attacks/cross-up on him.

His jab is very fast and is fairly effective at stopping Horizontal Rolling Attack and Surprise Forward and Back cross-up efforts

vs. Abel

If Abel has enough meter for an Ultra, do not use EX Horizontal Rolling Attack. Abel can counter with Ultra as Blanka bounces away from a blocked attack.

vs. Ken

Dragon Punch is Ken's best special move, and most Ken players try to land it as often as possible. Less experienced players over-emphasize it's use. Look out for wake-up Dragon Punches on a downed Ken. If you note during play that the Ken player likes to wake-up Dragon Punch, try to bait it out by using electricity or otherwise staying close then back-dash or use Surprise Back at the last second, their Dragon Punch will miss, and you get a free punish. Keep doing similar tactics until they learn their lesson or you win.